


Here for You

by MortisBane



Category: Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Eli has Big Dad Energy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post rebels, crying and comfort, post Treason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:20:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22125490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MortisBane/pseuds/MortisBane
Summary: Thrawn has been missing for three months, and Eli is not coping well. Thankfully, a tiny visitor is here to help him through it all.
Relationships: (IMPLIED), Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 15
Kudos: 71





	Here for You

Three months. It had been three months, and still no word. Eli stared at the screen, the only light in his darkened room, his eyes having long since dried out. It was way past curfew, and he should have went to sleep hours ago if he wanted to wake up rested enough for his shift. But he couldn’t sleep, not any more. Not since Ar’alani had first told him about Thrawn.

Whisked away in a flash. Hours, just hours after he last saw the man, and he had vanished from the galaxy. It was impossible, improbable, cruel. A year apart, and he finally got to see his mentor, his friend, his...something. And the galaxy took him away again. The night before Ar’alani had told him was the last good night's sleep he’s gotten in the past three months.

He can’t calm his racing thoughts, can’t sit still knowing Thrawn is missing and no one can find him. Can’t even think of resting until he knows the Chiss Grand Admiral is safe at the helm of a Star Destroyer. If he closes his eyes, all he can see is Thrawn. See him injured, alone, starving, dead. He doesn’t really feel the tiredness anymore, he’s gotten used to it.

When curfew hits, he holes up in his quarters. He used to try to sleep, but all that got him was laying in bed for hours on end, wasting time, sleep eluding him again, and again, and again. So he’s taken to working. Studying star charts, Purrgil migration patterns, Clouzon-36, and old accounts of Force sensitives. Anything and anything that could give him even the smallest clue into what happened to Thrawn, where he could be...if he’s even alive.

He groaned, rubbing at his dry stinging eyes and pushing away from his terminal. Those thoughts weren’t helping, they were distractions. He needed to focus, needed to push away his emotions and only worry about the facts. He needed to act like Thrawn. The mission is all that matters, and right now, his mission is finding Thrawn.

But he wasn’t like Thrawn. He was Human, and he cared, he cared so damn much it hurt. A year of separation had been bad, but he at least knew Thrawn was okay. He knew where the damn Chiss was. But now, Thrawn was gone, and it was likely Thrawn himself didn’t even know where he was. It scared him, it angered him, he couldn’t help but think of what ifs.

What if Ar’alani had been more persuasive? What if Eli had begged Thrawn to come back to them? What if Eli had been honest and come clean about his feelings, would Thrawn have chosen to come back with them? Could they have saved him from his fate?

A splash of water against the back of his palm startled him from his dark questions. He looked down to watch as another drop landed by the first. Great. He was crying again. He used to pride himself on how collected he could be with his emotions, by Human standards at least. He cried so rarely. Now, it seemed it was all he did in his down time. Everything just hurt, and he felt so helpless. He used to know he could always rely on Thrawn, now Thrawn has to rely on him, and can Eli pull through for him? Judging by the numbers he’d been staring at for the past three months that have yielded him nothing, he couldn’t.

A bubble of anger rose in his chest, coming out as an angry sob before the tears came in full force. The walls of the Steadfast were thick, and it was unlikely anyone would be able to hear him even if he howled with rage. Nonetheless, he stifled his sobs, curling in on himself, wrapping an arm over his stomach in a mock embrace, the other covering his mouth, absorbing most of his pitiful wails. He just couldn’t do anything, no matter how hard he tried, no matter what he learned, he couldn’t crack it, he couldn’t find Thrawn. What use was he? If he can’t see the pattern in the information Ar’alani gave him, if he can’t track down Thrawn’s location, what use was he to anyone?

His door chimed behind him with the familiar ping of a request of entry and a fear ceased Eli’s entire body. There were few people who would come to Eli during the night shift in his off duty, and even fewer that would come this late into the cycle. The only person who could be outside his door at this hour would have to be Ar’alani, and it would have to be under some level of emergency or secrecy.

He scrubbed at his face, trying to wipe away all the evidence of his tears. He couldn’t make them all go away, his eyes would still be puffy and red, his nightshirt would still be damp, and his voice would come out shaky. But, hopefully she would see his poor attempts to be presentable and not say anything. Maybe she had some pressing matter she needed him to attend to, something in depth and lengthy that could distract his thoughts from his woes.

Wiping down his face a final time and sniffing hard to clear his nose, Eli stood. He pressed wrinkles from his shirt, straightened his posture, and schooled his features in the time it took to reach the door in his cramped quarters. Not bothering to check the request, he opened the door. What met him on the other side was not Ar’alani. Nor was it Vah’nya or Ronan, the only other people who might seek him out in his quarters.

It was Un’hee. The tiny navigator girl who they’d rescued from a Grysk ship. After the incident had been dealt with and the Steadfast had parted from the Chimaera, the girl stuck only to Eli, Ar’alani, and Vah’nya. She trusted no one else and could only be found with one of the three. Upon reaching the Ascendancy, it was decided she would remain on the Steadfast with them until her sight faded, as she was already acclimated to Ar’alani and the ship. Since then, she still follows around the three. She would follow Vah’nya to and from the navigator quarters, then stand beside Eli or Ar’alani on the bridge.

Now, however, she was alone. No one stood with her in the hallway, and there were no figures leaving either. Had she walked here by herself, this late into the night cycle? Willingly? His shock lasted a few moments, the small girl staring up at him, an uneasy expression on her face, Eli looking back bewildered. He completely forgot his previous breakdown, and the state of his face, the girl could no doubt pick up on.

“Un’hee?” He asked, whispering for reasons he didn’t know. The girl flinched and looked away, playing with her fingers nervously. It was Eli’s turn to look away, embarrassed knowing exactly where she had picked up that nervous tick from.

“Eli’van’to.” She answered, looking back up at him a bit more emboldened. “I want to help you.” She looked determined, but all Eli could do was furrow his brow in confusion.

“Help me? Help me what? And did you walk here by yourself?”

“Yes I did. I could feel your despair, you are in pain. I want to help you.” Eli’s face flushed with heat before draining completely. She could feel him, meaning the other navigators probably could as well, including Vah’nya. He had been doing so well at hiding how Thrawn’s disappearance had been affecting him, but now, apparently even a little girl could tell. He looked back and forth down the corridor to be sure the coast was clear before he ushered the navigator into his quarters.

“Y-You can feel that I am upset?!” He whispered harshly, then immediately regretted it. Un’hee looked a bit more shy now, but she didn’t back down. If Eli wasn’t so distressed, he would have been proud of her.

“Yes, it is so strong, it exists in the air. My sisters can feel it, and it worries us. Navigator Vah’nya said we should not interfere, as it would be embarrassing for you but…” She trailed off eyes downcast. “But, I do not wish for you to hurt. It makes me sad to feel your pain, can I help you?”

A myriad of emotions swept through Eli in that moment. Embarrassment, fear, mortification, happiness, joy, heartwarming gratitude. All of them rushing so quickly he couldn’t identify any singular one at the moment, nor could he focus on one to react with. What his brain ended up settling on seemed to be biting cynicism.

“There’s nothing you can do to help me, Un’hee.” He chuckled coldly, shaking his head. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you for so long, I promise I’ll do better so maybe you don’t feel it anymore.” He’d have to look into the information Ar’alani had given him, and maybe ask her or Vah’nya if there was anything he could do to mask his emotions from the navigators.

“No!” The small girl called out above a whisper, the sound booming in comparison. “I do not wish for you to hide or pretend. I want to help!” Eli smiled sadly and knelt down to her eye level.

“I’m sorry Un’hee, there really is nothing you can do. There’s nothing I can do either, it’s just how things are and I don’t think things will be better soon. The only thing we can do, is try and move on, then maybe you won’t feel my sadness anymore.” He tried to smile more warmly at her, hoping to allay her fears so maybe she could return to the navigators quarters and get back to sleep.

It seemed to have the opposite effect. The girl’s determined expression wavered, her bottom lip trembling, eyes squinting as they began filling rapidly with tears. She was fighting it, but the dam was about to break. He began shushing her softly, reaching out and taking her shoulders.

“Hey hey, it’s okay. There’s no need to cry.” He cupped her cheek rubbing the area just under her eyes gently with her thumb, but it was too late. The little navigator launched herself into Eli’s chest, arms circling around his neck, clinging onto him as if it were for dear life. The tears began falling, tiny sobs wracking her tiny frame, each one Eli felt deep in his heart.

He continued to hush and comfort her, rubbing her back gently and running fingers through her hair softly. He wasn’t sure what else to do, he had younger cousins he’d watched over back on Lysatra, and Un’hee always seemed to awaken that deep parental behavior in him, but crying was difficult, sometimes the best thing to do it let it all out.

“I’m sorry Eli’van’to, about Mitth’raw’nuruodo. I-I know he’s gone, and...and you’re sad. I want to help, you helped me and now you need help.” She lapsed back into sobs and Eli’s back was starting to hurt being bent over the girl. He gathered her up in his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder and stood. It was easier on his back, and this way he could pace his room slowly.

“It’s okay Un’hee. It’s not your fault, it’s my burden to bare not yours.” He whispered into her ear, feeling his heart clench at her cries.

“I-I want to...to help…” She stuttered past her sobs, pulling back to look at him, giving him a clear look at her tear stained cheeks. He tried wiping some away with his thumb, but they kept coming and didn’t quite do much to clean her face.

“You are, you are helping. Knowing you care so much, it makes me very happy Un’hee.”

“It-It does?” She sniffled, hiccuping through her words. He nodded smiling sadly, knowing his own eyes were glazed over with unshed tears.

“It does.” He confirmed. “You walked all the way here by yourself because you wanted to help me. It warms my heart. Reminds me that I’m...that I’m not quite so alone here.”

“You're not alone Eli’van’to. You have me, and navigator Vah’nya, and Admiral Ar’alani. We are here for you!” Her sobs were dying down now, but she continued to cry and sniffle. He nodded slowly, feeling his throat close up. He tried to blink away the growing wetness in his eyes. Her words were hitting too close to his heart, and in his emotionally vulnerable state, he wasn’t sure he could hold on much longer.

“T-Thank you, Un’hee.” His voice cracked and he bowed his head, knowing it was coming.

“You are not Chiss.” Un’hee spoke, cupping his cheeks with her small blue hands.

“Yes, I’m not a Chiss.” He agreed, feeling the first few tears slip past his eyes.

“You are not Chiss, you need not try and act like a Chiss. Human’s cry, Human’s show more emotions than Chss yes? Please Eli’van’to, act Human.” He looked up slowly, shocked by her words, but seeing no uncertainty or judgement in her face. Her hands tightened on his cheeks and she stared at him so intently, he couldn’t have refused her if he wanted to.

He let his tears come freely, choked sobs slipping past his lips. Un’hee buried her teary face into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck again and holding him tightly. He returned the gesture, holding the girl tightly to his chest, letting all his sadness loose. All his feelings of failure, of fear, of worry, of inadequacy. He let them out with his fat tears and breathy sobs. It felt silly to seek comfort from a child, but it also made him feel less lonely than he had while sobbing alone in the middle of the night. It left a warmer fire in his heart rather than the cold empty pit that resided there before.

He wasn’t sure how long it was that he and Un’hee cried together. Only that eventually both their tears dried up, Eli feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He only focused on Un’hee’s sniffles, rubbing small circles on her back.

“I do not wish to return to my sisters like this.” Un’hee whispered in the silence after she had stopped her sobs.

“Do you want to remain here for the rest of the night cycle?” He asked, lightly scratching the base of her skull. She nodded tiredly against his shoulder. “Will you be alright in the bed on your own?” She shook her head negatively.

“Please, do not leave.” How could he refuse a request like that. There was only a few hours left in the cycle, but as they settled down, Un’hee cradled to his chest, tiny hands fisting his nightshirt tightly, he felt all of his exhaustion catch up with him, and he was out like a light. It was the best night sleep he’d gotten since Thrawn’s disappearance.

**Author's Note:**

> A wild fic appears! Look at me being distracted by Eli and Un'hee's father daughter relationship and not writing my other WIP's! But I love Un'hee and I love Eli being a father figure to her, like this man better have adopted Un'hee because she's his daughter! Hope you enjoyed, Kudos' and comments much appreciated! <3
> 
> Stay Wizard  
> ~[Mortis](https://mortisbane.tumblr.com/)


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